Pokemon: One Month
by DragoranHeartless
Summary: Ross and Brooke, good friends, are now parting their ways. Brooke longs to become the Little Cup victor, whereas Ross has one month to save his brother from a mysterious disease. CANCELED STORY
1. Chapter 1

**Ross and Brooke**

"Elekid, use thunder punch!"

"Use quick attack and dodge that hit, Sneasel!

The Sneasel was no match for Elekid. It sprung from a boulder, which was half rooted in the ground, and leapt through the air. Elekid milled his arms, building up a charge of electricity. Sneasel had not even closed half the distance when a figure appeared out of the blue and launched a fist of wholesome electricity, striking it square in the face.

The pure force knocked the already battered Sneasel into the very boulder it had previously bound from. Elekid lowered his arms and held a vicious, victorious look on his face. A self-satisfied smile flashed on his trainer's lips.

"Aw man! Sneasel, are you alright? Come back!"

The teenage boy, Ross Tyger, took out his only Pokéball, which was strapped to his belt, and pressed the white button in the middle. The Pokéball opened up and after glowing a shade of bright red the faint Sneasel was absorbed inside. Ross's eyes were sad and gloomy as the girl, Brooke Hallows, walked towards him, Elekid following closely, over the grassy plain, where a few rocks and boulders formed a manner of hill.

"You've still got much to learn," Brooke said with a smile, and winked at Ross, who was a little bit shorter than her. "You should have tried to sneak up behind Elekid before attempting a reckless attack like that. You couldn't have expected Sneasel to dodge an attack he was walking straight in to."

"You're right, I guess," Ross said embarrassedly.

"It's ok, new trainers make mistakes all the time." Brooke replied, ruffling Ross's messy black hair. Ross looked up at her and she saw that same admiration that always lingered in his eyes. "The important thing is to learn from them."

"Will do, Brooke!" exclaimed the boy, and smiled brightly again.

"I should get going now." Brooke said, turning away and returning Elekid to its Pokéball.

"Goodbye," Ross said sadly. "Show that city folk what you're made from!"

"Bye!"

With that, Brooke started her journey to Jublife city. Parting ways with her friend, Ross, who was three years younger than her, her goal was to win the annual Little Cup, which currently was taking place in Jublife City. Brooke had seen a notice in the local Pokécenter, and instantly decided to trek back to her home city and obtain the crown.

Ross, on the other hand, had different aspirations. His younger brother, Garcia, was only of age ten and had fallen severely ill. He lay in his bed through the day, breathing irregular, shallow and rapid. He sweated a lot and suffered from nightmares in his slumber. In addition to this, time was running out. Garcia would fall prey to the Grim Reaper if Ross did not return in a month's time. It was Ross's duty to save his brother, and tomorrow would be the start of his adventure.

"Brooke?" Ross exclaimed, looking behind.

"Yes?"

"Next time, I promise I'll defeat you."

Brooke laughed, waved once more, and disappeared over the horizons.

"We'll see about that..."


	2. Chapter 2

**Brooke**

Jublife was the second closest town to Sandgem. It was also the heart of the Sinnoh region, full of soaring skyscrapers and hotels, busy streets. Brooke had lived in a medium sized apartment near the north-eastern part of the city.

She had resided together with her mother, Eri Hallows. At the age of forty-three, Brooke's mother fell severely ill. Not even the best doctors of Jublife or Eterna City could find a cure. They miserably told Brooke the heartbreaking news that her mother would breathe her last breath soon. Indeed, a few weeks after catching the disease, Eri passed away.

At the time of these events, Brooke had been merely eleven years of age. The dealings struck her hard, but also toughened her over time. She decided to go live with her grandmother in Sandgem Town, south of Jublife. Certainly, she made the journey there and joined up with her grandma, Jessica. She quickly got accustomed to the little town and people and spent the next six years of her life there.

It had been December of the fifth year, when Brooke had been walking around with her friend Ross just outside the borders of the town, in a meadow with a small hill where they often hung out. They were walking past the hill of rocks when they heard quick, loud, breathing.

Both were shocked upon discovering a worn out Elekid that had seen better days. Half covered in snow and eyes closed, it must have used its last energies to crawl to the little safety of a small cavern in the hill. Immediately, Brooke picked up the Elekid and took care of the worst of the wounds, while they both hurriedly escorted it back to Sandgem.

Later, Jessica, who was not only Brooke's grandma, but also the town's healer, cured the Elekid and gave it a warm place to sleep for the night. The next afternoon she instructed Brooke to release it back into the wild. When Brooke let the Elekid go at the borders of town, it came back running as she was crossing the meadow back to town. Since then, they have been not only trainer and Pokémon, but also best friends.

The day after Ross found a Sneasel was the day she decided to compete in the Little Cup. The travel had taken her over two hours now, but the city was already in her sights. The sun was out and flocks of Starly hovered over the grassy landscape overhead. Tired from walking in the hot weather all day, she let Elekid out of his Pokéball, sighed heavily, and seated herself on the grass.

She calmly and slowly took out her packed lunch, which consisted of a ham sandwich and some orange juice. Elekid was hungry, and eager to eat, so as soon as Brooke pulled a box of Pokéblocks from her backpack, Elekid rushed to grab it, tripped, and knocked both Brooke and the box to the floor. Brooke sat up and watched as Elekid struggled to lift his heavy body from the floor and go for his food. She smiled.

"You and me make a great team, buddy."

However, the little Elekid was too busy eating to pay any attention to her.


	3. Chapter 3

**The night before...**

**Elena**

The Tygers consisted of Ross and Garcia, Elena, the mother and Peter, the father. Both Ross's grandparents had died peacefully of old age when he was seven, so he was too young to feel the same pain his mother felt.

After the death of Joseph and Raina Tyger, Elena went into a spiral of confusion, and was empty to the world. She didn't leave the house for days, and recuperated slowly. Even seven years later, the townsfolk are careful not to bring her parents into conversation, in fear of the sadness that once overtook the usually bright and helpful woman.

Peter had left for Floaroma Town when Ross was eleven. He was a loving and caring father and husband, but Ross's family had always been very poor, and in those last few years they had been suffering from monetary problems. Therefore Peter moved to Floaroma, to work in the Fuego Ironworks for almost double his current pay. He came home for the holidays and sometimes for the weekends.

Garcia was five years younger than Ross, and had always been a shy, quiet boy. He sat in the corner of his classroom and rarely talked. He had no friends, and barely talked to Ross at all. But something in his eyes shone so bright people knew he was happy despite being quiet. The boy also enjoyed reading immensely. He was seven when he finished all the books in the town's library, where he often spent his free time, and complained about not having enough to read afterwards.

Garcia did not feel well at school that day, and had fainted in class. Elena had taken the car and rushed him home. When Ross asked, she told him it was just a fever or lack of proper nutrition. We lay him in his bed and let him rest.

Ross had a wonderful family, and was a very cheery and energetic kid. This all changed the day the hooded man came.

It was late. It was very late. It was too late for visitors. Nevertheless, at midnight that evening, a man rang the bell on the Tygers' door. Hurriedly, Elena rushed to the door, held it ajar, and looked through the opening. It was too dark to see the man's facial features, and his forehead was covered by a pointed hood, that covered his nose but allowed him to see.

"What do you want?" Elena asked in a hushed, but demanding voice.

The man pulled the cloak tightly around him and brushed a few strands of hair from his face. When he spoke, he spoke with definitive urgency but also complete calmness and control.

"I bear news about your son."

At this, Elena's eyes lit up with fear, suspicion, or hope. She herself wasn't sure which one it was. Did this complete stranger want to help her son, Garcia? There was a long pause. Then she opened the door to its full extent.

"Come in." She said briskly, her face was neutral, with every bit of seriousness.

The man walked slowly in without looking at her, and as Elena closed the door, he sat himself down in a nearby chair. Elena said down opposite him and poured both of them some hot drinks, putting the cups on the little table between them.

"You look weary, sir." Elena said. "Where have you come from?"

"That matters not." The man finally looked up and took his hood off, revealing his perfect black, slender hair. Taking a sip of his drink, he continued. "What matters is that I see your son immediately. Now, have there been any abnormalities with his health lately?"

Elena was shocked. How dare this man talk to her like this? Yet she somehow thought it would be best to answer his questions truthfully, she knew this could be a matter of life or death for her son.

"Today he fainted at school. I brought him home and—"she came no further.

"Damn!" the stranger stood and banged the little tea table with his knee. "I'm too late! I must see the boy, now!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Garcia**

The exhausted boy lay awake on his bed. His eyes were shut but his mind was racing. He wished he could move and communicate with his family and the healer. He heard his door creaking open slowly. His mom entered the room; he knew this because of the pattern of footsteps. She was walking in his direction, and as she did so her steps slowed. Wait- what was this? 

A second pair of feet came through the door. These were much heavier and slower than the previous one. By now, Elena had stopped, but the other footsteps were going straight towards him. Garcia grew nervous. The mystery individual was now directly over him. A hand moved over his forehead and his headache throbbed.

"I have spoken to Jessica Hallows tonight." it was a man's voice, deep and strong. Garcia was focusing on the voice more than what the voice said, and it took him a few moments to take it in.

Elena was incredibly surprised by this. Was this man a relative of the Hallows?

"Who are you?" his mother questioned the other figure. Garcia wondered the same, but how come not even his mother knew? Again, there was a long silence, and no words were exchanged.

"He will not survive,"

"What?" Garcia's mother exclaimed loudly. "Does Jessica not have the cure? Does she not have it like last time?"

"Last...time?" the man repeated slowly.

"My sister, Joy, suffered from the curse." Mother said. Aunt Joy? Nor Garcia nor Ross had seen her in years. What was this curse, and was Garcia affected by it? "Jessica brought a medicine and she was cured within hours. She didn't remember anything of what had happened though."

"I see." The man said. Garcia had not known his aunt had suffered from any illnesses, and he was quite certain Ross hadn't either. "There is a cure for those already under the effects of the curse?"

"Yes." Mother answered quickly. "What about Garcia, how can you help him?"

"I'm afraid I cannot help him if he has already been affected." The man said with a disappointed tone. "In approximately one month he will pass on."

Garcia's heart beat fast in his chest. His headache was pounding against his skull, and he felt as if his head would implode any second now.

"NO!"

Garcia's mother was now exasperated and shouted out loud.

"I apologize. Farewell."

As the man walked toward the door, Garcia's mother hit the floor and wailed. She shouted and cried. The man stopped in the doorway. Garcia heard a third person's feet, and then the man's voice one more time.

"Boy, go to bed."

Garcia passed out once more.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sneasel**

Speed. It was all about speed. He could not fail, and he was certain he would not fail. If he were to lose his prey now, he would be banished from the clan by his father. Eyes alert, ears vigilant, ready to react on the first sound, the wild Sneasel stood covered by leaves on a low but thick branch.

When the children of the clan reached a certain age, they had to work alone to catch and kill a wild creature. They had only one hour to do so, and the limits were the boundaries of the forest. All Sneasel had seen up to now was the figure of a hooded man walking past, but Sneasel let him pass by. Now, his ears sprung up when he heard a bush rustle. Sneasel and the other Pokémon in his clan never worked alone, and hunted in packs. This would be a challenge.

He waited, fangs bared, claws sharpened and ready to leap at the right moment. The figure came into sight. Someone with normal vision would have seen nothing. Someone with an especially accurate vision would have seen a dog or a cat. But someone with Sneasel's vision would recognize the victim immediately- a Houndour.

It was jogging at a slow pace, but suddenly stopped. It sniffed the air, sensing Sneasel's presence in the air. It growled and started backing away. This was the time to attack it!

Sneasel leapt through the air and started falling with its claw extended. The Houndour looked up too late. All it saw was a black blur, and then it felt immense pain. Sneasel had slashed it with its right claw from above with full momentum and power, but the Houndour had deflected most of the damage with its rock-hard skull.

It suffered a long cut from its left eye, which was now blind, all the way to the corner of its mouth. It snapped at Sneasel with a fearsome jaw, but it was slow and confused, not to mention surprised.

Sneasel moved in for the kill, aiming to slit its neck or stab it. He was upon the Houndour in an instance. The dog was larger and more formidable than Sneasel had expected, and they wrestled and rolled over the ground. The Houndour barked and implanted its teeth in Sneasel's shoulder.

Its fangs bit clean through, causing Sneasel to flinch backwards and lose balance. He screeched out in pain, clamping its shoulder tight and clinging onto the tree. He ripped a piece of bark out in frustration and straightened up. The Houndour growled once more and launched itself at Sneasel.

Sneasel moved out of the way at the last moment, grabbed the Pokémon by the ears and slammed it straight into the tree trunk. The Houndour's body crumpled up as Sneasel let go. It was breathing heavily and quickly. It snarled and growled and barked quietly, but it was not dead yet.

Suddenly, an additional two enemies burst through the air, shadows of black in the night. Two Houndooms, probably the victim's parents, rushed ferociously to their son's aid. One launched a ferocious blast of scorching flames at the tree were Sneasel had been a moment before. The other ran to try and heal their child.

But Sneasel was not there anymore. He was dashing at full-speed through the forest, darting between trees. A Honchkrow bellowed somewhere in the starlit sky. The signal that time was up. Sneasel had fled and failed. His father, Weavile, would banish him from the clan.


	6. Chapter 6

**Ross**

"Who are you?" Ross hollered.

The pair was sprinting across the meadow towards the forest. It was pitch-black, but Ross could spot the man, who had once more put his hood on, running ahead of him. Ross had questioned the man about who he was and how he knew everything, but the stranger refused to answer.

When the stranger ignored Ross completely and left the house, Ross chased after him. Eventually the stranger started jogging, then sprinting, and then running at an impossible, inhuman speed. Ross chased him all the way to the edge of a forest before giving up.

Now he stood there, tired out and weary, panting heavily. He groaned and put his hands on his knees. In the distant dark he could see the hooded creature – no man could run so fast- dash into the overwhelming dimness and obscurity of the forest. Ross sat and cried. He cried for a long time.

"Oh, Garcia..." Ross whispered to himself. "Only one month left..."

He sat there for a while, angry at himself and the stranger. He thought about his mother, who was probably still with Garcia. And, of course, his brother, who lay in a deep coma and, almost, certainly had no idea how worried his family was now. He heard everything about the curse. Why had his mother never told him about Aunt Joy? How did Garcia get the curse? Was there no way to cure it?

Too many questions roamed Ross' mind. He knew exactly who would provide him with answers though. He would go to see Jessica Hallows right now. He let out one last, long sigh, and got up.

He glanced towards the forest one last time, then forced his eyes away from it and started walking back to Sandgem. Then he heard noises.

It started out as the soft reverberation of the wind, so Ross kept walking. It became very chilly all of the sudden, and Ross stopped. He looked back, but saw nothing, so he kept walking. Then the whispers came.

Ross realised the wind was now talking to him. The nonsensical words breezed past and tickled his ears. It was a fast, urgent voice. Ross looked around, and his world went black. He thought his vision was gone, but he looked down and saw his hands and feet. It was freezing now.

The voice was still there, screaming in a language Ross did not understand. Suddenly the world went totally quiet, except for a vague buzzing noise. Ross jumped as the voice suddenly shouted its last word.

"Run!"

And so Ross panicked and ran. His feet moved but he did not feel any floor underneath him. Was he falling? He sprinted as fast as he could, panting and breathing heavily. Something- or someone- pushed his back forcefully from behind, and Ross fell over.

Then he hit a floor. His knees and hands rummaged around the area, and he felt rotten patches of grass. He tried to get up to his feet, and suddenly the floor was gone once more. Ross screamed and fell yet again.

Abruptly, the world went back to normal and he found himself crouched in the meadow he had been passing. He had moved barely ten paces in real life, though he thought he could have ran over a mile already. He looked up, and Pokémon were fighting.

A Sneasel and a Misdreavus, battling an intense fight a few metres away from him. The Sneasel leapt forward and slashed with its alarming claws, but the Misdreavus teleported behind it and created a dark pulse, which hit Sneasel from behind. The Sneasel's left arm seemed wounded, but not too severely.

Ross did not know how to react, and sat up, staring in awe at the swift Sneasel and the tricky, teleporting ghost. Then it hit him- a wild Misdreavus had snuck up behind him and hypnotised him! That must have been the cause of the strange nightmare, but Ross had no idea where the Sneasel came from. He knew they resided in the forest, but they almost never left it. Why had this Sneasel come to rescue him?


	7. Chapter 7

**Sneasel**

Sneasel had run out of the forest. He was certain the Houndooms were not chasing him, and even if they were, he was too speedy for them to ever catch up with him. He was mad at himself. How could he have failed the test? He had been trained well by his father and other teachers. If not for the Houndooms, he would still be part of the clan.

His left arm was wounded but he had patched it up a little bit. He could move it but could definitely not attack or defend with it. The pain had increased over time but Sneasel was toughing it out. Upon exiting the forest, he slowed down and examined his surroundings. Ahead of him was a very long meadow, stretching as far as the eyes could see. Near the middle of the field lay an untidy hill made of rocks and boulders. What surprised Sneasel most, though, was the boy quite near to the forest boundaries.

A few metres southwest of where he was standing, an average sized human rest on the floor, twitching his legs and arms every so often. His teeth were showing and he seemed to be very cold. Then Sneasel spotted the assailant.

Hovering above the boy, with its eyes shut and its mind focused, balanced a ghostly Misdreavus. It had hypnotised the boy and was now giving it nightmares, feeding off the boy's misery. Sneasel could not help but to feel pity for the youngster. Sneasel did not know where the boy had come from, or how long he'd been under Misdreavus' influence, but he felt it was his duty to stop the phantom.

As the Sneasel sneakily approached the Misdreavus from behind, it could feel a strong psychic field coring around the Pokémon. He wondered if it had felt his presence somehow, and decided to attack it quickly but carefully. He was now only a few paces from the Misdreavus, and prepared a slash attack.

He rushed forward and launched its claws upwards towards the ghost, but it was no longer there. Sneasel lost balance in mid-air but managed to recover when he hit the ground. Looking around, behind him he spotted the Misdreavus, eyes wide open and focused on him, sending a wave of darkness right at him!

Sneasel ran right in the direction of the dark pulse and, just before it would have hit him, leapt over it and swiped its right arm powerfully at the Misdreavus, but it had disappeared yet again. It had teleported and was now floating a few metres away. Sneasel felt the psychic field come crumbling down and he realised that it must have been caused by Misdreavus' hypnotisation. The boy would be rid of his nightmares. Sneasel looked back to the boy, who was now sitting up confusedly.

But he had more central matters to worry about currently. The Misdreavus created a shadow ball, which floated in front of its creator and grew in size until it was almost double Misdreavus' size. It proceeded to launch it at Sneasel. Preparing to leap over the attack, Sneasel had not anticipated the shadow ball to travel so fast, and it hit him square in the back as he turned around. Misdreavus cackled and moved closer.

Sneasel was sprawled over the grass with its arms outstretched. He tried to get up, and spotted the Misdreavus preparing another shadow ball. This time Sneasel knew how to react. As the Misdreavus launched the gloomy sphere, Sneasel rolled out of the way and jumped up on its feet. He dashed left and right with a quick attack, and dodged another shadow ball.

As he was about to leap and strike Misdreavus, he wheeled around and send his claws upwards, striking its target with a critical hit. As Sneasel landed, the ghost was sent flying backwards a few metres, before regaining its balance. It bolted off towards the forest, leaving behind the boy and the Sneasel.

Sneasel looked in the direction of the boy, and he managed to stand up. He looked at Sneasel in awe and shock. Sneasel held his head high and assumed a victorious pose, and the boy smiled.


	8. Chapter 8

**Jessica**

Jessica sat awake in her chair by the fireplace as the young boy Ross burst through the door.

"I've been expecting you, Ross." She said with a positive tone. As Ross shut the door behind him, Jessica turned her chair around and spotted the second guest. "Oh my! Let me help that poor Pokémon!"

Ross laid the fainted Sneasel on a long table near the fireplace and extended its left arm so Jessica could inspect the wound better. Even though it had been through a lot of pain, and it was now unconscious, the injured Pokémon had a peaceful look on its face, as if it had just dozed off in the most comfortable nest in the world.

Jessica walked over with a needle, thread, and some bottles of potions.

"Go sit by the fireplace, boy." Jessica said calmly, opening one of the bottles with a blue label. "I'll heal it, give it a place to sleep, and we can both go join your mother. She must be very worried by now, don't you think?"

Ross nodded, and sat down comfortably, finally able to catch his breath. As Jessica stitched together the wound, she asked Ross to explain what happened. Ross went over his pursuit, the Misdreavus hypnotising him, and finally a wild Sneasel coming to his rescue. Jessica listened attentively and finished up curing Sneasel's injuries, and Ross finally asked what he had been dying to know.

"Jessica," he enquired. "Who was that hooded man?"

Jessica finished tying a bandage around the sleeping Pokémon's shoulder and covered it with a blanket. She turned her attention to Ross again.

"I don't know who he was or how he knew of your brother's state," she replied. "But he did tell me how to cure your brother..."

At this, Jessica saw Ross' eyes light up with hope.

"How?" he asked anxiously.

"Let's go discuss this with your mother, shall we." Jessica responded, and together they walked to the door. Ross looked back at Sneasel with a worried look.

"Sneasel will be fine, right?" he questioned apprehensively.

"Don't worry," Jessica replied with that ever positive smile of hers. "Tomorrow it will be up and running."

"Will I have to release it back into the woods?"

"I think that would be for the best, wouldn't it?"

Jessica closed and locked the door behind her. She put her keys back in her pocket and pulled her coat tight around her. They both looked over at the Tyger house further up the street, where both floors' lights were still turned on.

They walked at a brisk pace, and crossed the road as they neared the house. Ross tried the door, and it was still unlocked, so they both entered. Ross wiped his feet, and his mother, Elena, got up from a couch near the fireplace. She smiled at Ross and hurried him in while she held the door open for Jessica.

When they both had entered, Elena greeted them and closed the door.

"Have a seat," Elena said, waving a hand towards the three seats near the fireplace. Once everyone was seated comfortably, Jessica finally broke the calm.

"Ross," she said in a hushed tone. "You are the only one who can save your brother."


	9. Chapter 9

**Ross**

Ross' face lit up with surprise when he heard this. He was supposed to save his brother? There was no cure though, was there? If there was, Ross was determined to do anything he was capable of to get it and to save Garcia.

"Is there a cure?" Ross asked excitedly.

His mother was also looking intently at Jessica, astonished, shimmers of optimism in her eyes. Jessica shuffled in her seat and poured herself some tea. She turned the small spoon around in the cup and finally spoke.

"Indeed there is, Ross." She said in a rather cheerless manner. "It is called Cresselia's Arc..."

Neither Ross nor his mother had any idea what this artefact was.

"Cresselia?" Ross asked pensively. "What's that?"

Jessica took another taste of the cherry tea before answering.

"Cresselia is the majestic Pokémon of the crescent moon." Jessica replied seriously. "Its home is Full Moon Island, a small land mass to the far north of Canaleve City. It has been close to never been spotted, and the isle on which it resides is shrouded by mist."

Both Ross and his mother were now staring open-mouthed at Jessica. Was there really a Pokémon this rare?

"How will it be able to help us?" Elena asked.

"The arc on its back has healing properties." Jessica said. "If you can bring it to Garcia he will survive."

"What?" Ross exclaimed. "If this Pokémon is so rare and powerful, how am I supposed to find it, never mind obtaining the arc?"

"I cannot help you with that." Jessica replied bluntly.

Ross' eyes turned to the floor, and his mother looked disappointed. Jessica stood up and collected her coat, draping it over her shoulder.

"I would suggest visiting Canaleve City first, since it is the closest city." she said. "Travel to Jublife and then take the ferry west. Maybe you can find out more information in the immense Canaleve library."

Ross' mother looked at him, sad and sleep-deprived. Ross looked deep into her eyes, and saw the desperation she had for not only Garcia's wellbeing, but Ross' as well. It was then and there that Ross decided to travel to Full Moon Island, get Cresselia's Arc, and save Garcia.

"We should all catch up on some well-deserved sleep," Jessica said, looking at Ross and his mother once more.

As Jessica exited the house without any further words, Ross shifted his gaze upon the grandfather clock in the corner. The clock's little, quiet gong sounded one time and one time only, signalling the one AM mark. And the clock kept ticking, and ticking. Time was precious. Ross' mother finally spoke.

"30 days..."


	10. Chapter 10

_Ross found it hard to sleep as his thoughts wandered all over the place. His body, though, was exhausted, so he quickly fell into a deep slumber, waking up only early afternoon the next day. _

_ Jessica had no more further words, except for "Good luck," when Ross collected the Sneasel, which had been nursed back to health. Ross' worried friend, Brooke, came to see him before they both split their paths. Ross had to return the Sneasel to its surroundings before going to Canaleve. He had put the Sneasel in a temporary Pokéball for protection. _

_ He promised to visit Brooke when he was in the vicinity. As Brooke was leaving, Ross challenged her to a battle. Brooke thought the idea was preposterous, as Ross had never battled before, in addition to the Sneasel possibly not reacting to his commands. However, they fought, and Brooke won. Now Ross walked slowly towards the woods, already finding it hard to part with his Sneasel.

* * *

_

**Brooke**

As the sun rested itself upon the horizon, Brooke finally entered Jublife city. She saw the same roads, buildings, and general layout of the structures, though everything had been renewed or repainted. The previously cobbled roads were now steady and smooth. The Pokécenter had put together an extension for the inn to accommodate more guests.

Seeing the Pokécenter reminded Brooke that she should do two things before exploring the shops in town. One, sign in and pay for the inn and food services and two, sign up for the Little Cup tourney.

Elekid was withdrawn in his Pokéball, and Brooke considered letting him out but decided against it when she spotted a trainer feeding his Cranidos, Budew and Roselia nearby. The always famished and ravenous Elekid would rush up to them and eat their meal before they realised what was going on. The trainer looked very happy and pleased and smiled as his Roselia did a little dance out of joy, but his outfit was extraordinary.

The man wore a black shirt and a black and white striped jacket on top. He was dressed in baggy blue jeans and small shoes. On his left hand he wore a black and white fingerless glove, which spiralled up his arm in a peculiar way. On top of his intense, spiky blue hair he wore a black and white jester's hat, the colours separating in the middle. He had painted a triangle over his left eye in a deep dark blue colour.

Brooke realised she had been staring rather rudely, so she turned her watch to the Pokécenter and looked back at the strange joker man once more before walking inside. The inside was decorated colourfully. The walls were a soft purple and red, and many trainers socialised on the comfortable red couches on the right side.

Behind a short counter stood a jubilant Nurse Joy, with flowing pink hair and a happy smile. To her left there was a notice board with a variety of colours of paper pinned in an orderly fashion. One notice dominated above the rest- a blue and green poster, almost a quarter the size of the whole board, with the words "Little Cup" printed in a fancy font.

Brooke walked to the counter shyly, looking back as the automatic glass doors shut behind her. Nurse Joy looked up at her.

"Hello there," she said cheerfully. "How can I help you?"

Brooke explained her necessities and handed over some coins to pay.

"Can I also sign up for the Little Cup?"

"Sure," she responded. "Let me check the register."

Nurse Joy took out a list and schedule from beneath her desk and looked over the register.

"Looks like you're lucky," she murmured. "There are only two spots left."

She then handed over the register to Brooke, and told her to sign in one of the remaining empty places.

_Brooke Hallows_

Brooke went over several of the other people's names.

_Katherine Jacobs_

_ Drake Dennis_

_ Chester Davidson_

After handing the register back to Nurse Joy, she handed Brooke the schedule.

"All battles, except for the finals, will take place in the plaza in the centre of town." She explained. "The first battle will take place tomorrow; you can go watch it there."

"Ok," Brooke said and nodded understandingly. "When will my first battle be?"

"Your schedule is here," Nurse Joy clarified, turning the paper over to reveal another table. "Your first fight will be in two days time."


	11. Chapter 11

_Hey readers! Just to warn ya, the next few chapters will be about Sneasel and the events that take place in the forest. Hope you enjoy them! _

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* * *

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**Sneasel**

A zap of red light, and, though it was getting quite late, the outside lights were blinding Sneasel. Looking up, he saw Ross watching him intently, and around him was the meadow. Quite nearby was the dark and gloomy forest in which his clan lived, and where all the inhabitants were most likely speaking of him right now.

"Bye bye, pal." Ross said sadly, patting Sneasel on the head softly. "I'll miss you."

Sneasel flinched a little bit and looked around confused. Then he realised the boy's intentions. Sneasel looked from the forest to Ross with his mouth open and eyes wide. He took a step away from Ross, as his protector placed the empty Pokéball back in his belt.

Sneasel kept looking at Ross, then backed away slowly, before turning away and sadly bounding off on all fours towards the forest. His clan had banished him and, now, so was the boy. He knew of only one individual who could be of assistance at the moment.

And so, Sneasel entered the woods and was surrounded by the familiar staleness and dark of the forest and trees. Malicious eyes watched him from the treetops, and he felt the presence of invisible company trailing him from all directions.

When the shattered Pokémon reached a small clearing where the setting sun's light beat down gently and delicately, he surveyed the splitting road and attempted to remember the way to the lake. He took the right road, which consisted of dirt and rocks along the edges.

Sneasel would go to see his sister, Karen, she would help him. She lived in a small nest by the lake, apart from the rest of the clan. He did not know how, but his sister would surely help him. _Wouldn't she?_

The reflections and ideas rushed through Sneasel's mind. Suddenly, an immense force tackled him to the floor. Sneasel felt his right arm being pinned down to the ground and a paw being firmly pressed to his chest. Desperately glancing upwards, he spotted his assailant- a Houndoom, presumably the father of the injured Houndour.

Sneasel's mind erased all other thoughts and snapped to battle mode instantaneously. As the Houndoom prepared a flamethrower attack, Sneasel punctured his underbelly slightly with his free claw. Houndoom flinched, which was Sneasel's desired reaction. He pushed the attacker off of him violently and sprung back up.

Houndoom rushed back on its feet hastily and turned to face Sneasel before launching a wholesome, fiery row of scorching fire out of its jaws. Sneasel did a backwards summersault and dodged the worst of the flames as a pillar of blaze formed in front of him. Leaping into the heights of the woods, he jumped from tree to tree with the alarmingly formidable Houndoom pursuing him below.

The sole reason as to why Sneasel could not out speed Houndoom was because he could not move as swiftly in the treetops as on the flat soil. Sneasel was still heading to the lake's direction, though trees were becoming less plentiful by the second. A second blast of flames almost knocked Sneasel out of the trees as it struck right behind him.

The Houndoom let out an incredibly fearsome roar before sending the third and the most powerful flamethrower at Sneasel. The closest branch was on another tree and at least three metres away, but Sneasel had to jump in order to dodge the fires.

As he bounded helplessly through the air a blast of sweltering, sizzling inferno followed him, and hot sparks of flames burnt Sneasel's back in the air. When the distance between him and his landing closed completely, Sneasel did a frontwards roll and sprung behind the wide trunk of the tree. He breathed quickly and promptly, eyes wide open and trying to make his body as small as possible as flames shot out from either side of him. The flamethrower had barely any effect on a tree that size, and when it subsided, Sneasel continued through the forest.

The lake was within his sights, but how would he escape his foe? He would have to face the hunter at one point, and the hunter was about to become the hunted. In an instant, Sneasel was upon the unsuspecting Houndoom.

It stopped running at once as Sneasel yanked its horns backwards and forced it on the ground. Dodging a wild headbutt, Sneasel, jumped off of the flailing mass and rushed away from it, preparing a slash attack. As Houndoom got up, Sneasel dashed left and right before springing upwards and bringing both claws down on his prey.

Houndoom deflected Sneasel's slash with his horns, and sparks flew off the collision as Sneasel was thrown backwards and Houndoom was pushed as the force pressed him back. Dust gathered around his feet as he dug his front paw into the soil, preparing to charge.

Sneasel stood motionlessly and waited for the take down attack to come. Spreading his arms and feigning to prepare and take the hit, Sneasel back away a little bit. Houndoom let out an implausible roar as he launched all his force in a tackle. At the last possible moment, Sneasel jumped up above Houndoom and came down quickly, launching both its feet into the Pokémon's sides.

Houndoom was turned over on its side and struck its large body on a tree. It was weak, but it was trying to get up. Sneasel dashed forward quickly and growled loudly, before impaling the hound with its piercing, razor-sharp claw. The Houndoom's body quickly rose, and then fell as Sneasel drew back his arm. It was dead.

A wave of dizziness suddenly hit Sneasel and he sat down hastily, holding his aching forehead with his even more aching claw. Then, a slow, sarcastic applause sounded from above. Sneasel looked up, and leaning back on the trunk of the tree, sitting on a low branch was the unmistakable figure of his sister.

"Well, well, well," she said, with a snarl in her voice. "Look who came to visit..."


	12. Chapter 12

**Sneasel**

After having treated Sneasel's heavier wounds and the burns on his back, Karen took away the bandage on Sneasel's shoulder and replaced it with some curative herbs. They retreated to the safety and comfort of Karen's small nest and sat down to talk.

Karen and her brother were never really close. This was mainly because they didn't talk much since Karen went to live on her own. No one really understood why she was different from the rest of the clan and despised the company of other. Afterwards, Sneasel considered going off on his own as well. He remained with clan after his best friend, a Nuzleaf who went by the name of Acario, convinced him to stay.

Something was different about her though, Sneasel thought. She wasn't as cheerful as the last time Sneasel had seen her. This had been almost a year ago, when she had left the clan. Sneasel noticed a rather depressing sadness in her eyes this time round.

"I heard about what happened." Karen said blankly. "Dragor—"

"Don't call me that!" Sneasel exploded.

Karen looked up at him in surprise, but relaxed when he sat back down.

Sneasel's real name had been Dragoran, but he had to abandon this call when he fled and abandoned the clan. Karen wasn't his sister's real name either. Her real name could never be mentioned; otherwise a horrible curse would befall the clan. No one knew her name though, except for Sneasel's father, not even Karen herself.

"I apologize." Karen said calmly. "Sneasel, Father came looking for me last night."

Sneasel's ears perked up when he heard this. His father hadn't seen Karen in ages, so why would he come see her now? Was his visit here somehow interrelated to Sneasel's escape?

"Brother," she said gloomily, with a vague hint of a hiss in her voice. "You should not have run. You should have stood up to your punishment."

Sneasel looked at her sternly. She had a hazy, indistinct grin on her lips and her head was bowed. Sneasel looked past her and spotted movement in the forest.

"Father told me to warn him if you came to me," she continued in a more menacing manner, not hiding the wickedness in her voice anymore. "He offered good pay, he did."

Sneasel shot upwards, eyes wide open and fearful. He turned around and spotted movement in the shrubs nearby.

"You traitor!" Sneasel burst out. "You were always the sneaky one, but to sink as low as to trick your own brother..."

Karen was now laughing maniacally, obviously pleased with herself.

"You little—"

Sneasel never finished his sentence, as a strong, sturdy hand clamped over his mouth and another tightened his claws to his waist. From years of hunting Sneasel recognized the unmistakeable odour of a Toxicroak. Not just any Toxicroak, but Gandor, Sneasel's father's right-hand man.

Out of the shadows behind Karen a mysterious figure appeared. An influential and commanding poise, and a crown of red fanning out on top of his head, Weavile, clan master, stood next to his daughter.


	13. Chapter 13

**Sneasel**

Sneasel struggled wildly, attempting to lash out with his head and his legs. His father had a satisfied smirk on his face, and his eyes looked vicious as the lake water reflected a shimmering luminosity on them. The golden mark on his forehead also gleamed in the lights. He slowly walked forwards, intently studying Sneasel as he flailed uselessly.

Sneasel's eyes filled with tears. This was partly because of the dreadful smell, but also because of his sister's treachery. Sneasel struggled to free his mouth and, when Gandor pulled his paw back just a fraction, Sneasel bit down as hard as he could. Gandor flinched and recoiled, loosening its grip on Sneasel's arm. With his teeth still rooted in Gandor's paw, Sneasel wormed himself out of the larger Pokémon's grasp.

Dashing forwards as he kicked Gandor in the stomach, Sneasel now stood surrounded by his father, Karen and a raging Gandor. He looked around frantically, trying to spot an escape. The three rivals closed in on him carefully.

For the second time that night, an adrenaline rush hit Sneasel and he jumped from left to right at an incredible speed. Facing Gandor and feigning an attack, he veered around and quick attacked his sister. His fit shoulder struck first into her ribcage, pushing her onto the ground aggressively.

Weavile and Gandor now both rushed in to attack from the sides, but Sneasel did a backwards summersault, landing on Gandor's head. He turned around and bounded off towards the lake, leaving an aggravated Toxicroak and Weavile behind.

Gandor, though larger and much stronger, was much slower than Sneasel and Weavile, and by the time the father had reached his son, Gandor was behind a few metres. When Sneasel jumped into the air and was about to bring his claws down upon his father, Weavile mirrored his son's movements and the pair's claws crossed in mid-air.

Sneasel let the foe's claws push him away before pouncing from the ground and directing his momentum by launching an icy slash attack at his father. Weavile dodged and rolled away as he hit the floor. Sneasel lost balance and lashed out at empty air, lading sprawled over the floor.

A heavy paw weighed on top of him, and his father's curled nails dug into his back painfully and drew a few streams of dark ruby blood. Gandor approached while panting, and stood by as Weavile menacingly pinned Sneasel to the soil.

Sneasel was helpless, and was too tired to struggle. All he could do was lie there and stare at his evil, vicious sister, who still held the same unhappiness when she looked back at him. Something hit him firmly on the rear of his head, and he lost consciousness.

* * *

Sneasel awoke with an agonizing headache. He attempted to open his eyes but his vision was extremely misty and unclear. He was sitting and leaning against something, and when he tried to grab his forehead with his claw, he realised both his hands were bound tightly together behind his back. He lifted his head and felt his back ache on several locations. As he tried his best to keep his eyes open, his vision became clearer and more comprehensible.

Unbreakable bars of firm lumber surrounded him from all sides, and he understood that he was in a prison cell. Gandor or the guards had probably thrown him in here for the time being so that his father could finish him off when the time was right.

Sneasel struggled violently, but the rope was too thick and bound too tightly, and there were no loopholes. Looking past the bars, Sneasel spotted a Breloom standing guard. When Sneasel moaned, the surprised Breloom jumped, but relaxed when he realised Sneasel had just woken up and turned his gaze away indifferently.

He was trapped. He was ensnared in his sister's trap and his father would contently dispose of a traitor of the clan, even if it meant killing his own son. The pillars surrounding him suddenly duplicated in numbers, and switched from brown to yellow to blue and lastly to purple. Sneasel gave in to his headache and fell into a deep slumber again.

He awoke roughly as he heard shouting from far away, then the Breloom guard yelled a reply to another guard positioned a few metres away. Sneasel's headache had lessened immensely, and after moving around in his cage a bit, his muscles loosened. Both the Breloom guard's looked tense and edgy.

Then chaos erupted.

First, both guards charged forwards towards an imperceptible target shrouded in dust and surrounded by guards. A knocked out Vigoroth flew a few metres through the air and landed on top of another guard. There were bursts of small but effective detonations which raged all over the combat zone.

Sneasel stood slack jawed staring at the battlefield as more guards piled up and backed away from their powerful adversary. The mist was clearing, and Sneasel focused his eyes on the dusty field, wanting to get a better view of the scene.

As the dust cleared, Sneasel saw who the opponent was. The speedy Pokémon launching sludge bombs and fearsome seed flares was none other than Acario, the Nuzleaf who had come to rescue him.


	14. Chapter 14

**Sneasel and Weavile**

Acario strode through the masses of guards and was slowly making his way to Sneasel's cage. A particularly large Vigoroth tackled him to the ground and tried to slice open Acario's side, but the nimble Pokémon rolled over and used his momentum to throw the unsuspecting Pokémon on its backside. The winded Vigoroth lost consciousness after receiving a savage kick to the head, and Acario continued through the guards.

"Acario!" Sneasel cried out worriedly.

After firing a couple of rounds of razor leaves from the leaf on its head, the swift Nuzleaf fleetingly jumped over a Vigoroth and Breloom rushing at him from either side, and the pair collided head-on.

Nuzleaf was near to Sneasel's cage now, and as he eliminated two remaining Brelooms with a forceful seed flare, he closed the distance by thrusting himself into the air and landing on top of the cage.

"Acario," Sneasel shouted uneasily. "What are you doing?"

In the distance, waves of clan Pokémon rushed towards them at an uncomfortably quick tempo.

Acario charged a powerful attack and launched a mach punch straight through the cage, creating a gap large enough for him to fit through.

"Come on!" he exclaimed loudly as he entered the cage.

He cut through the rope binding Sneasel's wrists together with the razor-sharp leaf on top of his head. Sneasel stretched his arms before swinging his claws at the bars of the cage. It only resulted in him being ricocheted backwards and landing painfully on his back.

"Leave it to me!" Acario said with bared fangs.

Charging at the bars with an incredible speed and force, Acario burst clean through the jail and struggled to keep his balance. Breathing heavily, he was quickly followed by Sneasel.

Vigoroths, Brelooms and Swellows overhead encircled them and blocked all possible escape routes. There was no more fleeing. They had to stand up and fight. Sneasel looked at Acario, and he looked back sadly.

"I'll distract them," Acario said determinedly, surprising Sneasel. "Escape, Dragoran."

Sneasel was dumfounded as his best friend rushed straight ahead towards a wall of deadly clan Pokémon. Even a swift, sturdy Pokémon like Acario wouldn't survive such a mass of killers.

Acario let out a defiant, deafening roar, and all the Pokémon closed in around them. Even some of the Swellows swooped down to peck or take down their foe. Sneasel stared at the horrible scene a few more seconds before his paws went into action.

Bounding past the masses towards the exit of the forest on all fours, Sneasel reached the clearing that split in three in no time. Leaping onto the bark of a powerfully built tree, Sneasel climbed onto one of the branches and tried to get a view of the clan. The crushed Acario was alive, but had been overwhelmed by the crowd and was now being carried towards the centre of the village, certain to be punished. And there was only one punishment for betraying the clan- death.

Sneasel strained himself to stop looking at the painful view, and continued sprinting to the outskirts of the woods, tears and moans flowing freely now. He would leave the forest, and this time he was sure he would never come back.

* * *

With the full moon overhead, Weavile faced the attention of his audience. He was standing on a large podium, facing a multitude of dozens of eager clan Pokémon.

"Ladies and gentleman," Weavile yelled at the top of his voice. "Tonight, a traitor shall die!"

An immense roar and applause came from the enthusiastic crowd. As the clapping died out, Weavile scraped his claw ruthlessly against the surface of the stake to which a struggling Acario was bound tightly. The sparks that flew off rapidly spread to the firewood surrounding the stake, and some embers jumped up and slightly smouldered Acario's feet and he gasped.

Weavile backed away, and looked upon his victim as flames sprung up and slowly cornered him, before they completely engulfed Acario. As the audience watched in silent awe, Acario screamed and yelled helplessly and uselessly.

Flames licked at his torso and head, and soon enough he disappeared in a mist of blaze. Weavile grinned like a crazy man, and his eyes were scarlet red as he his maniacal laugh perforated the silence of the night.

* * *

The boy Ross looked peaceful as he slept in the meadow far away from the dangers of the forest. This was the boy who had treated Sneasel so well, and had even taken care of his wounds. Sneasel would love to travel with the boy, battle with him, and go on adventures.

He sat alongside the slumbering human and gawked up at the stars. The stunning stars lingered everlastingly in the hours of darkness. Sneasel had not seen wholesome beauty like this for a long time.

And so, the next morning Sneasel joined Ross, and together they would venture to Full Moon Island, acquire Cresselia's Arc and cure Garcia; all the while evading their as of yet undiscovered hunters- Weavile, Gandor and Karen...


	15. Chapter 15

**Brooke and Chester**

Brooke yawned and arched her back as she stretched. The comfort of her bed was too great for her to get up just yet... Just a few more minutes lying down and then she would be up and about... Turning around, she slowly opened her eyes, saw her alarm clock, and...

"AAAAH!" her loud scream pierced through the air as she hurriedly sat up and changed into her skirt and blouse. "I'm late. I'm late. I'm late!"

She had overslept, snoozing right through the ringing of her alarm clock, which she had set to go off at 11:30 AM. The battle at the plaza was meant to take place at 12:15 PM, and right now it was 12:11 PM!

Brooke rushed to put on her socks and boots, struggling to properly fit on her fingerless gloves, before realising she had put them on the wrong hands. Grabbing her backpack, she dashed towards the door and clumsily collided head on. Hurriedly picking herself up, she actually opened the door and sprinted out the inn, heading towards the plaza.

As she neared the plaza, the crowds grew in number. Wading through the masses of people trying to watch the unfolding battle, she managed to get an excellent spot on one of the higher seating places, where she could see the entire battlefield from afar.

The field was made of a dirt floor with large boulders sticking out here and there, preventing a direct pathway from one side to the other. On one side stood a handsome teenager who looked about fifteen, clad in a dark coloured jacket and blue jeans. By the sideline stood a judge dressed in a plain yellow shirt and black shorts, holding two flags- one red and one yellow. Brooke gasped silently when she recognized the youngster's opponent. It was the joker man she had seen yesterday evening!

"On this side," the judge yelled, pointing the red flag at the guy in the jacket. "We have Dylan from Pastoria City!"

The crowd let out a huge wave of applause and cheers, and Brooke even joined in herself.

"On this side," the judge continued, now pointing the yellow flag at the joker man. "We have Chester from Jublife City!"

Again, the crowd applauded the trainer, and as Brooke looked around she saw other staring at him curiously.

"Dylan, are you ready?" asked the judge, lowering both flags.

"Aye," Dylan replied, swaying his perfect hair over his shoulder. Suddenly, a group of cheerleaders jumped out of the crowd and started dancing.

"Give me a D, give me a-"

They got no further as a few policemen came to calm them down. The judge coughed awkwardly before continuing.

"Chester, are you ready?"

"I sure am." Chester replied cheerfully.

"Well then," yelled the judge, backing away from the field. "Let the battle commence!"

* * *

Dylan adjusted his pose, and swung his gorgeous hair from side to side once more, before taking out a Pokéball from his belt.

"Go!" He shouted, stylishly throwing the Pokéball upwards. "Vulpix!"

Glimmering sparkles rained upon Dylan as he caught the Pokéball in its fall. Turning around to face the cheerleaders in the audience, he winked in their direction. The crowd went wild and a paramedic came in to carry one of the fainted cheerleaders out.

"A Vulpix!" The girls in the audience gossiped.

"So elegant and beautiful, yet strong!"

"Oh, it fits him perfectly, doesn't it?"

Chester groaned in annoyance. He would teach his opponent a lesson.

"Alright," he said, a cheeky smile playing on his lips, "No more joking around, it's time for this clown to take you down! Go, Cranidos!"

Mysteriously making a blue Pokéball appear into his hands, he released his Cranidos onto the field.

The Vulpix stood neatly positioned on top of one of the boulders, showing off its beautifully trimmed tail to the audience as they cheered on.

"Alright, Mister Perfect," Chester murmured irritably. "Let's see how you juggle with this...Cranidos, use magnitude!"

Cranidos lifted its right foot before bringing it down powerfully, causing the ground to shake heavily.

Dylan chuckled dryly, before waving elegantly and commanding his Pokémon.

"Vulpix, use quick attack!"

The Vulpix swiftly jumped from rock to rock, mostly avoiding any damage from its foe's attack. Sooner than Chester expected, Vulpix was within range of Cranidos.

"Cranidos, watch out!"

Cranidos turned around just on time to move out of the way as the nimble Vulpix almost struck it. Instead, it landed gently on the ground and turned to face its opponent.

"Vulpix, use flamethrower!" Dylan shouted.

Vulpix released a jet of flames from its mouth, and Cranidos rushed to take cover behind a rock. Hot flames burst out from the sides of the rock.

"So," Chester said calmly. "You're gonna play the cards this way, are you? Cranidos, use rock blast!"

The unsuspecting Vulpix tried to fire another flamethrower as Cranidos exposed himself, but backed away when it saw the opponent hurl a large rock at it.

"Vulpix!" Dylan shouted, making dramatic hand motions. "Watch out!"

Vulpix tried to jump onto a boulder but, alas, was too slow and the rock hit it, the force pushing it into another boulder.

"Cranidos, skull bash, now!"

Cranidos charged madly at the weakened Vulpix and rammed it with its rock-hard head. The Vulpix was sent flying high, and Dylan gasped and retrieved the Pokémon into its Pokéball before it crashed into the ground.

The judge lifted the yellow flag and pointed at Chester.

"Dylan's Vulpix is unable to battle," he announced loudly. "The winner is Chester from Jublife!"


	16. Chapter 16

**Brooke**

The crowd went wild as Chester also returned his Pokémon. The audience cheered as the joker made the Pokéball disappear with a flick of his wrist, before smiling for the cameras. Brooke laughed and clapped along with the other viewers.

"Oh, Vulpix!" Dylan yelled in agony, gasping loudly and dramatically placing the back of one hand on his forehead. Tears welled up in his eyes as he fell to his knees. "This world is too harsh for ones as beautiful as us!"

As the crowd gradually calmed down, the judge continued.

"Chester shall advance to the quarter finals!" he yelled.

There was a lot of moving around before the second battle of the day. Some crowd members went to talk to Chester, but he had mysteriously disappeared. Dylan, on the other hand, allowed himself to be comforted by dozens of girls as he autographed and signed his way of the arena.

Small groups of people struggled to find good seats as they joined to watch the next battle. The man who had been sitting next to Brooke got up and left to go join his friends on the other side of the battlefield. Brooke looked around the crowd and tried to find Ross, but he must not have reached Jublife yet. In fact, Brooke wouldn't be surprised if he had only just woken up, seeing the restless nights he had.

"Who are you looking for?"

Brooke shrieked in surprise and bumped into someone getting seated next to her. It was Chester! Brooke relaxed slightly but kept a suspicious eye on him.

"What was that for?" she yelled madly. "You totally scared me!"

"Sorry," he smiled apologetically. "I'm just trying to get a good seat."

Brooke would have responded, but the crowd went quiet when the two participants stepped up. On the yellow flag's side stood a girl who looked about the same age as Brooke, wearing a sparkling red dress and red ribbons in her long black hair.

On the red flag's side stood a boy with a cherry coloured shirt and a baggy set of black jeans. He had black and white shoes and a serious look on his face. His spiky dark blue hair was half covered by a red bandana. Three Pokéballs were strapped on the left side of his belt.

"On this side," shouted the judge, stepping up on the field and raising the yellow flag towards the girl. "We have Diana from Hearthome City!"

The excited crowd had grown in size and the applause was now thunderously deafening. Diana smiled and held her hands together shyly. The judge introduced the second contestant.

"On this side, we have Drake from Blackthorn City in Johto!"

"He comes from Johto, huh? That's a far way off." Chester said to Brooke as the crowd clapped and whooped. Brooke nodded in reply.

"Diana, are you ready?"

"Y-yes." She answered shakily.

"Drake, are you ready?"

"Yes." He said firmly. His voice was deep and much steadier and securer than Diana's.

The judge stepped away from the field, and yelled, "Let the battle commence!"

"Go! Dratini!" Drake drew the middle Pokéball from his belt and whirled it onto the battlefield. A flash of red light and the majestic Dratini appeared, twirling and twisting its snake like body. Drake caught the Pokéball as it rebounded back towards him.

"Jigglypuff, I choose you!" said Diana softly but clearly, pressing the button in the middle before tossing the Pokéball in her hand at the field. Jigglypuff let out a cheerful whoop as it did a little dance.

"Dratini, use tackle!" Drake commanded fiercely. The snake dragon twirled one last time before rushing at an incredible speed towards its foe, zigzagging around the rocks.

"Jigglypuff, dodge and use rollout!" Diana yelled.

As Dratini approached and charged towards it, Jigglypuff leapt upwards, curled itself up into a little ball, and bounced off Dratini's head, before rolling away swiftly and dodging all the boulders. Continuing its rollout combo, it performed a U-turn around one of the boulders and moved in for another strike.

"Dratini," Drake shouted. "Use thunderbolt now!"

Dratini opened its jaws and let out a growl before releasing a powerful bolt of lightning at its spinning foe. Diana gasped in surprise as Jigglypuff was struck by the ball of electricity, causing it to unfold from its curled up position and crash into one of the rocks.

Brooke watched the two trainers in total admiration. If she were to face one of them tomorrow, would she really stand a chance? She had never really had any proper practice in battling, other than a few times at school and one battle with Ross.

The crowd cheered as Jigglypuff somersaulted over an incoming iron tail attack, and Dratini's tail turned a boulder to pieces. The battle was getting incredibly intense, and Brooke knew it could go either way in a matter of seconds- it just depended on who got the first hit.

Alongside Brooke, Chester cheered joyously and loudly. Brooke laughed when he accidentally kicked the man in front of him before sitting down embarrassedly.

"Dratini, use flamethrower!"

"Use defence curl and attack with a rollout!"

Dratini launched a blast of fire from its jaws, but it was deflected off of Jigglypuff's protective defence curl. The flames uselessly licked at the shield as Jigglypuff spun around rapidly and charged at Dratini once more. This time, the rollout attack struck right on and Dratini was sent flying, landing painfully on the ground. Jigglypuff was already returning for a second, finishing blow, and Drake growled angrily.

"Dratini, you useless creature," he yelled furiously. "Get up and hit it with an iron tail!"

Jigglypuff was about to strike, Dratini's tail started glowing, and as the Jigglypuff globe was as close as possible, Dratini whirled around at an extreme speed, its metal tail acting as a paddle and sending the Jigglypuff metres into the sky.

"HOME RUN!" Chester screamed animatedly, and Brooke almost choked as she gasped and laughed at the same time.

"Oh my gosh!" Diana shrieked, absorbing the Pokémon back into its Pokéball as it flew high through the air. "Jigglypuff, return!"

"Jigglypuff is unable to battle," the judge announced loudly to overcome the noise of the ear-splitting crowd. "The winner is Drake from Blackthorn!"


	17. Chapter 17

**Ross and Sneasel**

Travelling to Jublife was a lengthier journey than Ross had assumed. Ross awoke at 11:30 AM, as a familiar friend gently tapped him on the shoulder. Ross panicked and thought Sneasel was a vampire dwarf, before waking up from his nightmare.

After feeding Sneasel some of its leftovers from yesterday, Ross tried giving it a piece of his sandwich, to which, after sniffing it, Sneasel responded unenthusiastically. When they finished their breakfast, the pair continued walking the dirt road to Jublife, but the city was not even on the horizon yet.

After a few minutes Ross gave up. Sitting down, he opened his backpack and unloaded another packet of food.

"It's lunch time." He declared, as he munched on another sandwich. Sneasel sighed and sat down next to his trainer.

This time Ross promised himself he would keep going until he could walk no more. He would use all the willpower in his body and would not stop until he reached the city.

Twenty minutes later the pair where relaxing in the shade of a large apple tree.

Ross had already eaten the remaining three sandwiches and had fallen asleep. Sneasel paced the area and ran around, playing keep-ups with rocks and rotten apples. He was hungry though, but there was no more food. Then it hit him- he was underneath an apple tree.

Glancing upwards, Sneasel spotted a single, shiny, fresh, perfect red apple. Sneasel stood eying it as he drooled longingly. He jumped up against the tree and climbed onto the apple's branch. It was very thin, and Sneasel wasn't sure it would support his weight.

Balancing carefully on the slim twig, Sneasel made its way towards the tip, where the ideal apple hung patiently, just waiting for a Pokémon to pick it up and eat it. Sneasel walked on tip-toes now, readying itself to snatch the fruit as soon as it got close enough. Suddenly, a little, quiet buzzing noise reached Sneasel's ears. The Pokémon opened its ears and listened carefully as the noise became gradually louder. Turning around slowly, Sneasel saw a flash of black and yellow and all hell broke loose.

Narrowly dodging an incoming horn drill attack from a Beedrill, Sneasel screamed and lost his balance, which caused the branch to snap and it tumbled down.

The apple hit Ross first, and he groaned quietly, then he yelled as the much heavier Sneasel fell on his chest. Sneasel, still screaming at the top of its lungs, tried to scramble up but was struggling as Ross rolled around and lashed out with hands and feet.

"AAAAH!" Ross yelled with eyes wide open. "Vampire dwarves! Vampire dwarves!"

Sneasel finally managed to roll out of the mad boy's grip and they both got up hurriedly and continued screaming. Ross ran around in circles and Sneasel jumped up and down on the spot as he waved his arms frantically. Ross spotted an assembly of a dozen vicious looking Beedrill overhead with even more vicious looking drills. This made him snap out of his dream and scream even harder.

Picking up the out of control Sneasel, Ross sprinted as fast as he could away from the tree, a group of killer stingers pursuing them closely. Sneasel continued screaming as he wormed itself out of the boy's grip and ran ahead at double his speed. Ross started yelling again as a stinger struck the ground close behind him, and passed Sneasel's velocity as tears flowed down his cheeks.

"MOOOOOMMY!"

* * *

After the Beedrill had given up on their speedy victims, they returned to guard their apple tree once more. Both of them gasped for air desperately. Ross and Sneasel lay on their backs, trying to calm down. Looking at each other with huge eyes, they laughed quietly. As Sneasel looked at the apple in his hands, he suddenly didn't feel hungry anymore.


	18. Chapter 18

**Brooke and Sneasel**

Chester accompanied Brooke to the Pokécenter that afternoon, and they casually chatted about the highlights of the battles. As they neared the Pokécenter, Chester said his goodbyes and promised to root for her in tomorrow's match. Brooke entered the Pokécenter and went back to her room.

She sat down on her bed and took off her backpack. Rummaging through the mess, she separated some of the unpacked grub she had bought the last evening. Her stomach grumbled in response to seeing all the tasty looking snacks, and she allowed herself to some chocolate bars before heading down to the lower floors where her meal would be served soon.

After eating, she decided to go out for a stroll, leaving her backpack behind in her room. She walked towards the general direction of the plaza, eyeing dresses and purses through the shop windows.

Then she spotted him- Dylan, surrounded by girls and coolly sitting on a bench. Even from all the way where she was standing, she could hear his blatantly loud voice as he told his story.

"—so after taking down the twelve ninjas with my hands and feet tied up, I—"

Dylan saw Brooke and stopped speaking at once. His jaw dropped and he fixed his gaze on her as she shifted about uncomfortably and tried to walk past.

"Go on!" one of the girls prompted.

In a matter of seconds Dylan was on his knee and held Brooke's hand tightly in his own. He looked at her lovingly and Brooke stared back uncertainly.

"You are surely the most beautiful girl I have ever seen!" he exclaimed.

"Right..." Brooke tried to get her hand loose, but Dylan would not let go however hard she pulled. "I got to go now."

"But you can certainly stay, can you not?" Dylan asked, tears welling up in his eyes.

"No," Brooke replied coarsely, wondering if she could survive with only one hand for the rest of her life. "I can't. Now let go!"

"Oh," Dylan sighed dramatically, letting go of her hand as if it was the hardest thing in the world, falling backwards. As a group of girls dashed forwards to catch him, Brooke massaged her aching hand and walked away from the frustrating boy at a brisk pace, heading back towards the Pokécenter.

* * *

The sun was setting over the horizon, and Sneasel and Ross felt a strong evil presence watching them. They assumed it must be a wild ghost Pokémon minding its own business, but grew cautious as it remained following them.

Suddenly, the pair heard a sound resembling an echoing exhale, and a rush of psychic energy overcame them, giving Ross the chills. They both stood back to back, ready to face any Pokémon that was about to attack- and it struck Ross first.

The dark pulse hit Ross at chest height, causing him to yell out in pain as he was thrown backwards into Sneasel. Sneasel looked around frantically and finally spotted their assailant, though it was a bit too late- a Mightyena which burst out of the shrubs and took Sneasel down, slamming it powerfully with its head.

Sneasel was now underneath the dog as it snarled and barked violently, trying to bite Sneasel. The Mightyena lifted its head one more time, and was about to bring it down upon Sneasel's neck. Sneasel put all its power into his legs and pushed the hound's stomach, throwing it off and sending it flying over Sneasel's head.

Sneasel quickly got up and swiftly dashed from left to right to confuse his opponent. Mightyena growled and barked, then slowly padded forwards as two Sneasels appeared to be coming towards him. Suddenly, the fake, double team Sneasels disappeared and the real one was above Mightyena, bringing its powerful claws down upon the Pokémon's head like a hammer.

Sneasel landed on the Pokémon's back as it stumbled around blindly. Finally the Mightyena let out one final, quiet, yelp before falling down dead on its side. Sneasel jumped off the corpse and went to check on his master.

Ross had lost consciousness, and felt very cold. Humans were much more vulnerable to Pokémon attacks, especially the supernatural ones, since their bodies were not made to fight in the same way. Despite his horrid condition at the moment, Sneasel knew they could make it through the night.

After collecting some firewood and setting it ablaze, he moved Ross close to it. Warming himself next to the fire, Sneasel wondered what had happened to Acario...


	19. Chapter 19

**Brooke**

Brooke managed to get up on time the next morning, and headed down for a meal at 11:15 AM. Her battle would be in an hour's time, but she had no idea of who her opponent could be. At noon, she left the inn and started walking to the plaza.

A crowd had already been gathering, and the field looked the same as yesterday. More people joined by the minute and suddenly Brooke started feeling very anxious. She wasn't particularly fond of attention, and she felt eyes staring at her as she walked up to the arena.

As she took place on the square, metal platform for the trainers, she looked at the other side of the field, but her opponent wasn't there yet. Brooke held the yellow platform whereas her opponent would hold the red one. The match was meant to begin soon, and Brooke wondered where the opponent was. Was it a girl? Was it a boy? What Pokémon did they have?

Brooke remained waiting shyly on the platform, twirling the Pokéball holding Elekid in her hand. She felt embarrassed after her opponent didn't appear after another ten minutes. The crowd and the judge were getting impatient, since it was now already 12:25 PM and the match should have already finished, since the next battle was scheduled for 12:30 PM. The judge coughed before speaking.

"The battle has been cancelled, since Andy Festino from Sunyshore has not shown up yet." He yelled. "Brooke from Sandgem—"

"WAAAAH!"

A small boy wearing a blue cap, yellow shirt and shorts burst through the crowd waving his arms frantically and rushing to the platform.

"SORRY!" he screamed, as Brooke and the judge stared at him open-mouthed.

"It seems as though the battle will continue..." the judge said confusedly. "Well, on this side-"

"GO! TREECKO!" Andy yelled, twirling his Pokéball onto the field.

"Um," the judge stared confusedly. "Let the battle commence...?"

Brooke stopped staring and sent out her Elekid.

"TREECKO!" Andy screamed loudly. "Use extreme speed!"

Elekid took in his surroundings, looking around before suddenly being tackled by a Treecko jumping off one of the boulders. Struggling to pick himself up the ground, Elekid rolled out of the way as Treecko dashed past once more. Balancing himself against a rock, Elekid tried to keep the speedy foe in his sight.

"Elekid!" Brooke gasped, before forming a strategy in her head. "Use discharge!"

Elekid put his two arms in a cross formation and build up an electric charge, as Treecko veered around for another extreme speed tackle. Elekid growled and let out a roar as he released a field of electric charge that would affect him and all those around him. As Treecko moved in to strike, the unexpected blast sent him crashing into a boulder.

"Cross chop! Now!" Brooke instructed.

Elekid shook off a few remaining sparks, and started dashing towards the injured Treecko, who was still trying to regain his balance.

"WAAAAH" Andy yelled in a deafeningly loud tone. "TREECKO USE POUND!"

Treecko jumped up as Elekid slashed his arm upwards and pulverised the boulder, before bringing his large tail down and hammering Elekid to the floor. Elekid, who had already been weakened from the discharge, now stumbled around confusedly, before clearing his mind and focusing on any further incoming attacks.

"Elekid, behind you!"

Whirling around, Elekid caught an incoming green flash with his hands, and the speed at which Treecko had been travelling at caused them both to be pushed backwards. As Elekid was about to hit another boulder, he dragged Treecko over the soil and slammed the Pokémon into the rock. Elekid stood wearily panted, whereas Treecko lay unmoving on the floor.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Andy screamed, louder than ever. Most members of the audience covered their ears, and the judge flinched, before carefully announcing the winner.

"Treecko is unable to battle," he declared. "The winner is Brooke from Sandgem Town!"

Brooke started smiling, surprised of how well the battle had gone. Complimenting and retreating the exhausted Elekid, she looked around the crowd, and noticed two familiar faces that made her smile even more.

Chester and Ross, both joyously cheering for her.


	20. Chapter 20

_This marks chapter 20 of my story :D _

_Hopefully you're all enjoying it :)_

_if you are, be sure to leave a review when you finish reading :D_

-_DragoranHeartless_

_

* * *

_

**Brooke and Katherine**

Brooke joined Ross and Chester in the stands, and in the short interval, Ross told her of his adventures. Brooke was surprised when Ross informed her that Sneasel had come back to him, and Ross showed her the Pokéball.

As Ross continued to describe the battle against a wild Mightyena, suddenly a loud singing caught the trio's attention. Looking down at the arena, Brooke shook her head in dismay.

_"ROSES ARE RED, VIOLETS ARE BLUE, BROOKE, MY LOVE, I HAVE COME TO SEE YOU!"_

Brooke blushed heavily and rubbed her forehead. Dylan stood in the middle of the field, extending a bouquet of roses towards her while beaming with his killer smile. His eyes looked up at her dreamily and all the girls in the stands either fainted or screamed.

Chester and Ross could barely contain their laughter anymore, and Brooke was speechless. Dylan stood motionless, apart from swinging his hair a few times.

"Brooke, my dear," he said slowly through gritted teeth. "My arm is getting tired."

Brooke did not move her eyes from the ground as she slowly moved down the stairs towards Dylan. Violently snatching the roses from his hand and crushing half of them, Brooke hurriedly made her way back to her seat where Ross and Chester sat sniggering on either side of her.

"He's so romantic!" the conscious girls gossiped.

As Dylan coolly walked off the field, followed by a group of fan girls, the judge looked almost as dismayed as Brooke.

"I hate my job..." he murmured under his breath, before announcing the second battle. "Anyway, the second match is about to get underway!"

Careful cheers and clapping arose from the crowd, though most were either looking at Brooke or staring at Dylan as he climactically disappeared over the horizon. More clapping went up, though, as the two next participants walked up to the platforms.

Both opponents were girls, and the one holding the red platform looked about the same age as Brooke, whereas the other girl looked a little bit younger. The girl on the red platform wore a simple, cyan coloured shirt and a pair of jeans. A jacket was tied around her waist. Her hair was light blue, shoulder-length and spiky. The other girl had a baggy, green shirt, the shoulders of which were covered by long ruby coloured hair, and a blue skirt.

The crowd went silent in excitement as the judge announced the trainers.

"On this side," he yelled, raising the yellow flag. "We have Kyra from Pastoria City."

The crowd clapped and cheered for her as she shuffled her feet shyly.

"On this side," he raised the red flag. "We have Katherine from Vermillion in Kanto."

As the crowd's applause died out, the judge lowered both flags and asked both the contestants if they were ready. Confidently, they both answered yes.

"Let the battle commence!"

* * *

Katherine was the first to send out her Pokémon. She pitched a bronze and gold coloured Pokéball spinning onto the field.

"Go, Riolu!"

A little blue fighter was released from the Pokéball, and Katherine swiftly caught it on its way back. Kyra sent out her own Pokéball, and a Sandshrew popped out.

"Riolu, use force palm!" Katherine commanded, and she felt the strong psychic field building up around Riolu. It roared fearsomely, before launching a transparent, psychic hand straight through the battlefield. It passed through boulders and only materialised when it was about to strike Sandshrew.

"Dig!" Kyra shouted.

The Sandshrew was underground in an instant, hollowing out a tunnel towards its foe. The force palm struck a boulder in the corner of the field, showering Kyra and the judge with dust and fragments of rock.

Riolu looked around nervously and paced the area, unknowing of its opponent's location.

"Now!"

Suddenly, a flash of gold burst from the ground underneath Riolu, coating its eyes with dust and sending it in the air.

"Sandshrew, fury swipes!" Kyra yelled, and Sandshrew lashed out with its sharp claws at an incredible speed in mid-air.

"Aura sphere!" Katherine retaliated.

Throwing his weight to one side and dodging the next cluster of incoming slashes, Riolu launched a light blue, small but powerful aura sphere downwards, crushing his opponent against the ground and propelling himself higher into the air.

"High jump kick!" Katherine instructed, and as Riolu reached the peak of his ascent, he fell at an incredibly fast rate and prepared the kick that would finish his opponent. Kyra and the members of the crowd gasped as Riolu landed, creating a mist of dust around the impact zone.

As the dust cleared, Riolu stood proudly with its head held high in the middle of a small crater- but his opponent was nowhere to be seen. Luckily for Kyra, she had managed to return the Pokémon safely inside its Pokéball before it would have been annihilated.

"Sandshrew is unable to battle- the winner is Katherine from Vermillion!"

* * *

Chester, Ross and Brooke clapped slowly in their seats. Like most crowd members, they were hypnotised by the Riolu's incredible performance.

"Wow..." Brooke murmured.

"And what's worse is..." Chester said slowly. "You, Drake or I have a chance of facing her in the semi-finals..."


	21. Chapter 21

**Brooke, Chester and Ross**

The next few days passed in a blur. Ross had decided to stay for the next two days before leaving for Canaleve City. He would have loved to stay with Brooke and his new friend, Chester, but he had his own battles to struggle with.

The day after Brooke had won her fight, Ross, her and Chester met up before the next battle to go explore town a bit. The boys hurriedly grew bored of Brooke stopping to gawp at every single clothing shop, and by midday they were- quite literally- begging Brooke if they could go to any place not clothing-related. Every time they attempted to sneak away, Brooke would halt them and ask, "What about this dress?"

"Hehe," Ross chuckled evilly. "Rock beats scissors. Twice."

"Three out of five." Chester responded dryly.

The fed up boys sat on a small seat and played rock-paper-scissors while Brooke changed into the next dress.

"So, what do you think?"

Finally, Brooke emerged from the dressing stall, wearing a beautiful, stunning, long dress. It was the colour of flamboyant burgundy and it sparkled fantastically as lights showered down upon it from above. And, to top it all off, the gown came with fitting high-heel shoes which Brooke, surprisingly, managed to walk in very well.

Ross and Chester barely lifted their heads to look.

"Meh." They both murmured in unison.

"Hmm..." Brooke thought aloud. "Do you prefer this colour...or," she did a little twirl while displaying a dark blue coloured dress. "This one?"

"I'd pick the purple one." Ross replied, not lifting his head from the intense thumb war he was fighting with Chester.

"Yellow's never a bad choice." Chester muttered.

"Yeah," Brooke agreed. "I'll go for red. Wait- oh my, guys, look at this one!"

"Brooooooke!" Ross complained.

"You've been at this for hours!" Chester joined in.

"It's almost time for the battle; we should head to the plaza now." Ross said as he crushed Chester's thumb beneath his own.

"Yeah, are you going to buy anything, or not?"

"What?" Brooke replied, laughing casually. "Of course not, this stuff is way too expensive, silly!"

Both boys stared at each other open-mouthed, as they got up and followed Brooke to the plaza.

"I'll never understand girls." Chester whispered to Ross.

"Me neither, my friend." was the dull reply.

* * *

The outcome of the two battles declared a boy by the name of Zack, and a girl by the name of Vivian, winners. Zack had destroyed his opponent's Slowpoke with his speedy Scyther, whereas Vivian had used a very defensive Hippopotas to overcome her foe's equally defensive Geodude in a very slow paced battle.

The next day, Ross and Chester locked Brooke inside her room until midday, traumatised by the shopping experiences from yesterday morning. Brooke had gone into a mad rage, clawing at the door. Eventually, Chester had to burst in to stop her from killing herself by jumping out the window as she tried to think of any means of escape.

Finally she had calmed down after Ross convinced her she didn't need any more dresses. The odd trio walked to the plaza and took their seats among the crowd.

Before announcing the next contestants, the judge briefed everyone on the current victors who had made it through to the next round.

"Chester from Jublife! Drake from Blackthorn! Brooke from Sandgem! Katherine from Vermillion! Zack from Twinleaf! And last, but certainly not least, Vivian from Goldenrod!"

The crowd went wild and clapped jubilantly. They sat down, they groaned and got up again as they clapped once more for the participants getting up on stage.

The battle was a very short one, though very extreme also. Two girls from the same hometown, Hearthome City, were battling each other with a Cherubi and an Oddish. The girl with the Cherubi was called Zoe, and the girl with the Oddish was named Chloe. Cherubi finished the battle with a blast, launching a powerful solar beam at its target, immediately fainting it. Brooke made a mental note to watch out for that attack if she ever battled Zoe.

The next battle started shortly. This would be the last battle of the qualifiers, and the quarter finals would take place on Monday and Tuesday of the next week. Brooke could hardly wait to find out who her opponent would be.

The final trainers were both boys around Brooke's age. As they got up on stage, Brooke tried her best to ignore an all too happy Dylan, frantically waving at her from the other en d of the stands. The last battle took place between a Girafarig and a Ponyta. The two horse-like Pokémon struggled on the harsh terrain at first, but were fully galloping by the end, where Ponyta launched a final flamethrower that finished its opponent. The victor was called Damion, and he hailed from Pallet Town in Kanto.

That last battle settled it. All the quarter-finalists were now chosen. Ross decided it would be best to leave early the next morning, and the trio spent the rest of the day talking with some of the other quarter-finalists before retreating to the inn. Brooke went to bed early, but neither Ross nor Chester was willing to give up on a game of Monopoly, and they played until the early hours of dawn.

In her dreams, Brooke secretly hoped that she would not have to fight Chester.


	22. Chapter 22

**Ross and Drake**

The next morning, Ross awoke before his friends, and saying his silent farewells by Brooke's door, he left to Canaleve city. He had asked Nurse Joy if he could have a map to take with him, and she gladly gave him one. Finding Jublife City on the map, Ross also saw the much smaller Canaleve City west from it. The two cities were separated by a wide water route, and as he exited the Pokécenter, Ross wondered how he would cross it.

The roads were isolated since it was so early, and only three or four people crossed him as he walked towards the gate leading out of the city. Ross was still gazing at the map from different angles, perhaps attempting to spot some tiny pixel-sized bridge, when he passed by the stands surrounding the plaza's battlefield. He lifted his head when he heard a faint voice coming from the arena.

Ross could see no one in the stands, and there was no reason for the judge or anyone else to be there right now. Deciding to go and investigate, he folded the map before stuffing it in his backpack impatiently. Sneakily pressing his body against the side of the stands and twisting his head around, he spotted a boy wearing a red shirt and black jeans.

The boy had a very serious face, and stood on the red flag's platform, commanding a Dratini which was snaking itself around the rocks. He seemed to be training, and Ross was about to leave when the boy spoke.

"Dratini, you horrible, useless, Pokémon!" he yelled angrily. "If you want to win this, you'll have to be much, much faster than that. Now, quick attack, once more!"

Ross' eyes grew at hearing the boy's blunt insults towards his Pokémon. He considered stepping in, but decided against it when he realised he was spying. Ross stormed off madly- but silently- before continuing towards the gate. It was almost in his sights when he heard a familiar voice.

"Leaving so early?"

Chester stepped out of the shadows. There were tired rings beneath his eyes or, as he called them, the signs of a devoted Monopoly player. After having beaten Ross around 2 AM, he had retreated to his apartment to catch up on some sleep.

"I was about to ask the same." Ross replied cheerfully.

"I'm heading down to the arena for some training." Chester answered.

"I just walked past," Ross told him. "Somebody's already there."

"Really?" Chester asked curiously. "Who?"

"I don't know, but he had a Dratini. He treated it horribly, but I didn't want to interfere."

"From what you've told me, I'm guessing it's Drake."

"Drake?" Ross thought back. "Oh yeah, you mentioned him a few times. He's one of the quarter-finalists, isn't he?"

"Yeah," Chester confirmed.

"Well," Ross mumbled. "I should get going now."

Shaking hands one final time, the two friends split up, unaware that they would see each other again all too soon.

* * *

At the very peak of the building, Drake scanned the empty roads below, spotting only the strange, but powerful contestant dressed as a joker exiting his apartment building. He slowly craned around as he heard the door open behind him.

The boy was confronted with a tall, muscled man, with a serious face and an even more serious poise. He wore a dark orange suit and tie, and a classy pair of trousers and shoes. A Pokémon curled around the man's legs and purred.

"Drake," he demanded in a slow, deep voice. Drake detected no emotion in the voice. "Why have you called me here? You know I am a busy man."

"The three Dratini you gave me." Drake replied, a slight tremble in his voice. "They're weak. I managed to win the battle, but only barely. I ask of stronger Pokémon."

A smirk appeared on the man's face. Whether it was a sarcastic or satisfied one, Drake did not know. "I shall issue someone to give them to you as soon as possible."

"Thank you, sir."

The man turned away, making his way to the staircase door as Drake returned to leaning on the balcony.

"'Sir' isn't very fitting." The man said as his elegant Persian padded after him. "Perhaps you should call me..._Giovanni_."


	23. Chapter 23

**Ross**

Ross approached the gate building. It had no doors, and was simply a one story building connecting Route 218 and Jublife City. There was a wide entrance, and Ross walked in warily, surveying the two guards sitting on opposite sides of the room. They sat behind counters and wore bright red uniforms and caps. One sat sleepily reading a newspaper, slowly lifting his gaze to Ross. The other was in a deep sleep, and, to Ross' distaste, was drooling.

"Are you trying to get to Canaleve?" the conscious guard asked bluntly.

"Uh...Yeah." Ross hesitated.

"Alright, you can take a ferry just outside. At least one ferryboat should be available right now."

"Ok, thanks." Ross said, and walked past as the guard slumped into his chair again.

Exiting the gate, the sun hit him again, and he shielded his eyes as he stared into its direction. He could see the water a few metres away. His vision was limited by mist hovering cautiously over the water in the distance. Through the mist, he spotted the boat, and a man untying it from the shore- about to leave.

"Wait up!" Ross shouted, jogging over to the man. He noticed that the man wore a long, blue, leather robe, jeans and a plain white shirt. He was definitely in his senior years, his hair greying and scars covering his face.

"What?" the man spat in a deep, rather aggressive voice. "You wanna go to Canaleve?"

"Um...yeah." Ross stuttered. To be honest, the man was very intimidating.

"Well, what're you waiting for?" The man replied gruffly, finishing untying the boat. Ross got on the boat by climbing up a ladder rather clumsily. The deck was reasonably large, with a cabin in the middle. As Ross looked around the deck, he spotted another trainer.

A boy with average length brown hair, a neutral face and muddy blue eyes stood leaning against the edge of the railing, staring out over the water. He wore a white cape that dramatically waved in the wind. The captain got up and walked into the cabin, leaving Ross alone with the stranger.

"Hi." Ross said tentatively.

"Hey." The boy replied indifferently.

* * *

As the day on the ferry wore on, Ross and the boy, whose name was Xavier Hunter, started talking and ended up sitting on the deck playing rock-paper-scissors, with Ross' Sneasel relaxing in the quickly dimming sunshine. Dark clouds started moving in front of it.

Ross didn't quite know what to make of Xavier. He was quite mysterious. He had no remaining members of his family, but Ross didn't obviously press him on the matter. He seemed to be sad, but funny at times. Sometimes he would act very understanding and sympathetic- but at other times he would act as if he didn't care at all. In conclusion, Xavier was...Xavier-y.

Waves that had been licking the sides of the boat grew in size, and Ross noticed storm clouds drifting towards them at an unnaturally fast pace. The two boys looked up curiously, as the waves grew higher and higher.

"Hold on, boys!" the captain yelled from the captain, his normally serious face contorting into a worried, if not slightly scared, one. Ross and Xavier both fell backwards as the boat violently swayed to one side. Grabbing the railing, Ross, held on tightly as Xavier grabbed the opposite railing, his cape swaying dangerously as the wind roared. The roars grew louder and louder. Ross hurriedly retreated the pacing Sneasel, whose sensitive ears were hurt from the noise.

Ross gasped and turned his back to an incoming wave as the boat hazardously turned around. The cold, salt water soaked him from head to toe, and turning around, Ross noticed that the same fate had befallen Xavier. The storm clouds were now directly overhead, rumbling as they poured down a shower of heavy rainfall. Roars resounded through the air once more- but this time Ross knew it was not the wind.

And the sight that followed was a fearsome sight indeed.

The boat rocked from side to side as sudden changes in the water currents created tremendous waves. Deafening roars echoed through the wind as Ross turned around to face the nightmare. Out of the raging ocean, a giant monster arose only a few metres before him.

First, the head appeared, an azure dragon's face- and it wasn't happy at all. A wide set of open jaws, revealing a dirty black tongue and rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth, each the size of a hunting knife. With a spiky crown upon its head, the sea serpent truly was master of the deep. Its body arose even higher, revealing the segments of its body, coated by sparkling blue scales as streams of water dripped down.

They had come face to face with a raging Gyrados- A Pokémon that did not rest until it had destroyed everything around it.


	24. Chapter 24

_Hey people! :D _

_I'll be going on a two week holiday for...well...the next two weeks __

_So, no more chapters until then D:_

_Bye :D_

**Ross and Xavier**

The boat rocked heavily, shifting its weight from side to side as high and powerful waves of bitterly frosty, cruel water struck the deck and hit Ross. A haunting storm cloud in the sky brewed up howls of thunder and strikes of lightning as rain showered loudly onto the deck. The intimidating, immovable stare from the Gyrados' eyes gazed directly at him as he hurriedly scanned the deck for his friend.

"XAVIER!" he shouted, barely audible over the roars and storm. "XAVIER!"

But the boy was nowhere to be found. Ross took another cold hit from a wave as he tried to shield his face. The sudden force of the blast knocked him backwards, and, combined with the momentum of the slowly revolving ship, he fell, sliding on his back over the deck, and was sent crashing into the railing on the other side.

Catching his breath, he looked behind him. The waves- they looked ferocious. No human could live to tell the tale of the devastating currents and forces. They would be dragged underneath into a cold, empty, grave far below. But Xavier...he couldn't have slipped...could he?

An enormous roar emanated from the sea serpent, and it charged up an attack deep in its throat. Ross yelled, grabbing the railing for all he was worth for as he scrambled from the monster's line of fire.

The Gyrados launched a humongous jet of water from its fierce jaws, the hydro pump charging from its mouth in a straight line, striking the deck where Ross had just been.

Suddenly, water engulfed him and stopped his breath in his throat. Bringing his arms up to defend his head, the blast finally subsided and he took a deep, grateful breath.

A gaping hole leading to the hull of the ship had been created near Ross, where the main, crushing force of the blast had struck. A large section of the railing had simply been shattered into pieces, the remaining bits scattered everywhere.

Breathing shallowly, Ross looked around desperately, clinging to the remaining pieces of the wooden barrier. A bellow of sudden pain and rage came from the Gyrados, and Ross spun around to find out why.

* * *

"Flygon! Use stone edge again!"

Xavier sat perilously mounted on top of his green dragon. Soaring through the cold skies, the dragon was commanded to do a U-turn. Sharp stones floated around it as it neared the giant creature of the seas.

Doing a summersault manoeuvre after it followed the line of the serpent's body, the jagged stones were set loose and they slashed and stabbed while the dragon tamer made a hurried retreat.

The Gyrados hollered again, but the pain only caused its rage to increase. It charged a hyper beam in its mouth, and its eyes grew wide. As it released the sudden beam of pure might and energy, Xavier expertly dodged the ray by having Flygon dash around it before wheeling around and charging at the serpent while it was off-guard. The defenceless Gyrados flinched as Flygon's steel wing hit it in the back of the head, leaving a deep gash.

The Gyrados roared, though this time it was an agonized yell, not one of rage. Its eyes diminished in size and it jaws were closed tight. It confusedly swayed from side to side, before finally, collapsing back into the water backwards, sending an immense wave in the opposite direction of the boat. Xavier, who was hovering in the air, was still splashed, though, as the humongous dead body hit the water and started sinking slowly.

* * *

What surprised Ross most was the calm the captain had been able to sustain throughout the entire situation. As soon as the Gyrados' dragon rage wore off, the weather calmed down and the currents and waves returned to normal.

Xavier retreated his Flygon back into a Pokéball after having softly landed on the deck. The captain warned them not to go near the broken railing, and handed them both towels. Xavier looked extremely worn out as he stared over the bars at the sea ahead.

"So, what's your business in Canaleve?" Ross questioned out of curiosity.

"I want to do some research on a Pokémon," he replied slowly. "So I'm going to pay a visit to the library to see if I can find out any more information on it."

"Really? What Pokémon?" Ross pressed.

"I doubt you know it." Xavier scoffed mockingly, but Ross' eyes lit up as he continued listening. "It's a legendary Pokémon- only spoken of in myths. It's name is Cresselia."


End file.
